Obturating material.



" PATENT orrion.

MARK W. MARSDEN, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

OBTURATING MATERIAL.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, MARK W. MARSDEN, ,a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Obturating Material, of which the following is a specification.

I One of the principal objects is to provide a comparatively inexpensive, highly eflicient and exceedingly durable material or means for ob-turating purposes, mainly intended for ma ine use and particularly in connection Witn armored craft to prevent flooding in the event the hull is breached or ruptured either from internal or external causes.

Another object is to provide a material of the character stated, which may not be fired by spark or flame, the friction of penetrating projectiles, or from any cause whatsoever.

Another object is to provide a material of the character stated, which is immune to dry-rot and is not deleteriously afiected by sweating moisture or by changing temperatures or by age and will not generate poisonous gases.

Another object is to provide a highly absorptive, yielding and resilient material adapted instantly to close a breach resulting from the impact or" a projectile or from other cause.

Another object is to provide an obturating material, which, while comparatively light, will, upon functioning, have no tendency to wash away.

Otherwise stated, the purpose of the present invention is to overcome the defects and disadvantages of the obturating materials heretofore proposed.

In practising the invention I use a product composed essentially of mineral fiber and a very light material having springy or expansive properties and designed to prevent the mineral fiber from overcompact ing. Cork in granular or comminuted state answers the requirements, the other components being mineral wool and asbestos. The

product consists of the combination of these elements in loose as distinguished from sheet or fabricated form. Before combining these elementsI first subject the cork in a granu- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, rate.

Application filed December 13, 1915. Serial No. 66,512.

lated or comminuted state to a fireproofing process. The latter may be any of the approved methods, but I prefer to use a hot chemical solution, preferably alum and sal ammoniac and hot water. The cork is then thoroughly dried and associated with the mineral fiber in the ratio of twenty per cent., more or less, mineral wool and ten per cent, more or less, asbestos. In some cases more mineral fiber is desirable. As before stated the mineral fiber is in loose or flocky form and the mixing is performed insuch way as to uniformly distribute the components. The product of the mixture is then compressed to a density of from twelve to twenty pounds per cubic foot. ence of the cork makes for lightness and resiliency and for a product having absorptive properties in excess of any heretofore proposed. This is because the cork particles The preselements, which prevent the fibers from compacting too much, and hence enable the product to swell or expand rapidly under the influence of Water and to retain or take care of a larger bulk of water than was heretofore possible. The fibers readily interlace and mat with one another and with the cork and prevent the latter from washing away.

Having described the nature and objects of the invention, 1 claim 2-- 1. Obturating material consisting of a compressed product of mineral fiber and an element adapted and arranged to prevent undue compacting.

2. Obturating material consisting of a compressed product of mineral wool and asbestos and an element adapted and arranged to prevent undue compacting.

3. Obturating material consisting of a mixture of mineral wool and asbestos and springy separating elements scattered throughout the same.

4. Obturating material consisting of a mineral wool and asbestos combined in loose or fiocky form with a light, buoyant, flexible, fireproofed material.

dense or compressed produgt of anular In testimony whereof I afiix my signature cork initially treated to make it eproof in the presence of two Witnesses.

and mineral fiber.

7. Obturating' material consisting of 9. MARK W. MARSDEN. 5 dense or compressed product of anular Witnesses:

cork, initially treated to make it reproof, .ALLAN I. HUCKINS, mineral wool and flocky asbestos. E. W. STRAIN. 

